Griffin of Darkwood (6 page)

“Sparrowhawks,” said Thom, looking up at the row of glaring faces carved in stone. “There must be a hundred! How can you sleep with them staring at you?”

“I like them,” said Will.

They peered out the deep narrow windows. Then they climbed through the trap door onto the roof, leaving Peaches in the middle of the bed.
“Hooo-wooo-hoo,”
he howled. A sparrowhawk swooped off the parapet with raucous cries and circled in the distance.
Ke-ke-ke.

“Most of the castle is just a big ruin,” said Thom. “Look at that big square tower. It’s almost buried.”

“That’s the keep,” said Will. “The great hall’s in there, but you can’t get in. The doors are behind all that rock.”

“Hey, you can see my building!” said Thom.

“You can’t see my house,” said Emma. “It’s hidden behind that church. It used to be an old apple barn.”

Thom walked over to the other side. “You sure get a good view of the forest from up here. No one ever goes in there. Not even hunters.”

“Why not?” asked Will.

“The curse,” said Emma. “Everyone’s afraid.”

Will stared at the forest. Dark trees crowded together.
You wouldn’t be able to see the sun in there,
he thought. A glimmer of an idea stirred inside him.
What if…

No, no, NO! He had given up on writing. He spotted the Muses, standing between the trees at the edge of the forest. He glared at them and they faded away.

“Did you see anyone?” he asked Thom and Emma.

“No,” they both answered.

Peaches barked. One by one, they lowered themselves back through the trap door and down onto the bed, where Peaches greeted them with rapturous licks. Thom and Will jumped to the floor and Emma somersaulted off.

“How is Peaches’ training going?” asked Thom.

“Watch this!” said Emma.

She stood in front of her dog. Peaches braced his front feet and grinned.

“Sit!”

Peaches wagged his tail.

“I said SIT!”

Peaches flopped down on his side and stuck his shaggy paws in the air.

“STAY!”

Peaches sprang up and raced in a circle, barking. Then he leapt up and put his feet on Emma’s chest. “Idiot!” she said.

They spent the next hour exploring the castle. On Emma’s suggestion, they had a wild game of hide-and-seek, squeezing in and out of dusty nooks and crannies in the maze of rooms and passageways. Emma made up all the rules. You couldn’t actually hide
inside
anything, like a cupboard or a wardrobe, and you had to give yourself up after ten minutes. They finally collapsed on an old velvet couch that gave off a puff of grey dust.

“Has anyone seen Peaches?” asked Emma.

No one had. The dog had vanished. Emma chewed her lip. “That could mean trouble. We better find him.”

“Peaches! Peaches!” they hollered up and down the passageways.

Peaches bounded around a shadowy corner with a silky purple cloud trailing from his mouth.

“Aunt Mauve’s nightgown,” said Will, inspecting it.

Emma pounced. “Got it!” There was a ripping sound.

“Hoo-whoo-hoo,”
howled Peaches. And then his howl turned into a sharp bark.
“RUFF!”

A figure suddenly appeared at the end of another dark passageway. Emma shrieked.

“Aunt Mauve!” said Will, staring. “Are you all right?”

Aunt Mauve’s eyes were glazed and her lips were blue. She was wrapped up in a tattered pink bathrobe.

Emma stuffed the purple nightgown behind her back.

“These are my friends, Thom and Emma,” said Will.

“I don’t care if they’re the King and Queen of Siam!” blazed Aunt Mauve. “I can’t find my bedroom!”

A roller in her hair sprang loose and landed on Emma’s sneaker. She screamed and flung it off. Aunt Mauve shot her an icy look. Then she glared at Will. “Stop gawking and tell me how to get back to the Red Chamber.”

“You’re in the wrong part of the castle.” Will pointed down a narrow passageway. “You’ve got to go that way.”

When she had gone, Emma said, “That was your
aunt?
She’s a horror!”

“Forget about her,” said Will. “Come on. I’m starving! Let’s go to the kitchen and see if we can find something to eat.”

“Is this where you saw that ghost?” asked Thom as they made their way down the back passageway.

“Ooooo-oooo-ooooo,”
said Emma.

“Shut up,” muttered Thom.

The kitchen was empty and the fire in the fireplace had died. Pots and pans were stacked untidily in the sink, and grease had congealed in a big black frying pan on the stove.

“I smell bacon and eggs,” said Thom.

They opened and closed cupboard doors, finding only a few cans of vegetables and a sack of oatmeal.

Thom frowned. “I wonder where she keeps all her baking supplies.”

“Trust me, she’s not the baking type.” Will rattled the door of a long tall cupboard. “Locked. That’s where all the good stuff to eat is, I bet.”

A door at the far end of the kitchen was partly open. Will peeked around it into a little sitting room with a shiny green couch, two shabby armchairs and an old TV.

“This must be where the Cherrys live,” Will said over his shoulder.

“Don’t go in,” said Thom.

Will ignored him and took a step into the room. Behind the couch was another door, this one closed. He heard a murmur of voices.
That must be their bedroom,
he thought.

The book from the bookstore,
Castle Construction and Design,
lay on a small table. Will recognized it right away. There was a scrap of paper sticking out of it as if it marked a place. What was Mr. Cherry looking for?

The voices behind the door rose higher, but Will couldn’t make out any words. He took a chance. He darted right into the room and flipped open the book to the marker. At the top of the page was a chapter heading that said
Secret Passages
. He scanned the first few sentences.

What medieval castle was complete without a secret passage? Some secret passages led to the exterior of the castle to allow the lord to slip out without his enemies knowing he had escaped. Others were used to bring supplies in and out during a siege or led to underground supplies of water –

“I told you!” shouted Mr. Cherry from behind the door. Will froze. “Purvis Sneed was there when they found the Linley girl. He heard her story.”

Purvis Sneed
, thought Will.
The bus driver!

“It was forty years ago,” said Mrs. Cherry. “How could he remember?”

“I need a few more days! I’ll find a way in.”

“It’s getting too risky! That boy is snooping –”

“I’ll get rid of the boy!” snarled Mr. Cherry.

“Just don’t do anything stupid.”

Heavy footsteps approached the door. Will turned and fled back into the kitchen. “We’re outa here!” he hissed.

They sped up the sloping passageway, through the entrance hall and outside the
castle. Raindrops splashed on the ground.

“What happened?” asked Thom.

“The Cherrys were in there. They were talking about Purvis Sneed and a girl. Mr. Cherry said she was a Linley. It might be the girl who died. Mr. Cherry said Purvis Sneed was there when they found her, whatever that means.”

He told them about the book and the chapter titled
Secret Passages
. “He said he’ll find a way in. I saw him tapping on a wall in the dining room with a hammer. He’s gotta be looking for a secret passage. That’s the only thing I can think of.”

“Then we’ll look too!” said Emma, her dark eyes sparkling.

“Now?” Thom looked alarmed.

“Why not?”

“I thought you were supposed to be working at your granny’s shop today,” said Thom.

Emma yelped. “You’re right! And I’m late again! Dad is going to kill me! Please, please,
please
wait until tomorrow before you start looking.”

Will looked at Thom.

“Be fair,” wailed Emma. “It was my idea.”

“Okay,” said Will. It was hard to wait, but it would be way more fun with Emma.

“Let’s meet at Thom's tomorrow morning," said Emma.

“Not too early,” said Thom. “I’m making Cherry Tart Flambé tomorrow. You light it on fire. It’s going to be mega-cool!” He turned to Will. “You could come to my place now, for lunch if you want.”

“Sure!” Will was famished.

The rain pelted down as they raced along Black Penny Road, Peaches leaping puddles and barking wildly. Just before they rounded the bend, Will glanced back at the gloomy castle. He shuddered when he thought of Mr. Cherry’s icy words.

I’ll get rid of the boy.

Chapter Ten

Lantern Lane

Thom made peanut butter and jelly
sandwiches for lunch with slices of the glorious chocolate cake for dessert.

“I’m eating only pb and j sandwiches and French desserts for a whole year. I’m on my fifth month now,” he said.

“Are you kidding me?” said Will. “Peanut butter and jelly? Couldn’t you at least have picked something like pizza or cheese burgers?’

“It’s an experiment to see if I can last. Anyway, I love peanut butter,” said Thom. “It’s very nutritious.”

“Do you know how weird that sounds?”

“So? It’s fast and it’s cheap. Dad and I don’t have a lot of money.”

“And your dad lets you do this?”

“Yep. Dad took me to the doctor and he said it’s fine with him as long as I have three carrots and a glass of milk every day.”

“
Seriously
weird,” said Will.

The afternoon flew by. Will and Thom used six decks of cards and built a huge castle. The best part was blowing on it and making it all tumble down.

Will got back to the Sparrowhawk Hall just in time for supper. He sat alone at the long table in the dining room, reading one of his books, while Mr. Cherry brought in two plates of fish pie. By the time Aunt Mauve finally showed up, wearing her long black coat and squirrel cape, the pie was cold.

“Where were you?” said Will.

“If it’s any of your business, I’ve been wandering around for an hour trying to find my way here.”

Aunt Mauve’s teeth chattered and Will said with a grin, “You should run everywhere like I do. It would keep you warm.”

“Watch your mouth,” said Aunt Mauve.

Will pushed his plate away. He was still full of pb and j sandwiches and chocolate cake. He picked up his book and stood up.

“Where are you going?” said Aunt Mauve.

“To my tower.”

“I hope you’re not doing anything bad up there.” She squinted at Will. “I’ve a good mind to come up and see.”

“You can’t,” said Will. “The stairs are too steep.”

He left without saying good night to Aunt Mauve. When he got to his tower, he gazed around and thought,
This is mine!
He picked up his mother’s pencil box. Aunt Mauve would never make it up here. She’d never touch his stuff again.

Tires crunched on the road below. Will put the box down and leaned out one of the narrow windows. Moonlight bathed the scene below. He watched the pink van disappear around the side of the castle. What was Mr. Cherry up to now? He ran to another window to see where the van had gone. It had stopped in front of an old shed beside a crumbling wall. Clouds drifted over the moon and everything went black. The van door slammed shut.

Suddenly, an outdoor light flooded the area around the shed. Mr. Cherry was standing at the back of the van. He opened the door and dragged out two long objects. Light glinted on metal. Will wasn’t sure what they were but they looked heavy. Mr. Cherry disappeared with them inside the shed. On his way back to the van, he gazed up at the tower.

He sees me,
thought Will.
He’ll think I’m spying on him.
He ducked back inside and held his breath until he heard the van start up again. He peeked back out the window and saw red tail lights vanishing into the darkness.

b

In the morning, Will went to the kitchen to tell Mrs. Cherry that he didn’t want any breakfast. A woman with blonde hair was washing dishes in the stone sink, her back turned to him. Where had she come from? Was she another ghost? A radio was blaring loud music and Will shouted, “Tell Mrs. Cherry I’m not hungry.”

He decided to go a different way back to his tower. At the end of a shadowy corridor, he spotted a wooden door, studded with pieces of black iron. It took a few hard tugs to open. Steep stairs cut into rough rock descended into darkness. He peered into the gloom, fascinated. Could this be the way to the dungeon? He ventured as far as the fourth step and stopped. It was too dark. He needed a torch.

Will was almost back at his tower door when he bumped into Mrs. Cherry, carrying a tray. “Take this to your aunt,” she said. “I’m only doing a breakfast tray this once. I have a big castle to look after.”